Words
by half-breedMiralian
Summary: The words just sort of slipped out of her mouth. But she meant them just the same. Yet, his reaction wasn't the best. Perhaps Lind can pry the truth from both. Rated T for language. AgitoxYayoi. Fourth installment in the "Water" series.


**Words**

SHE WOKE UP in a cold sweat, her head still reeling from the nightmare. She fumbled about in the early morning darkness for the glass of water she kept by her bed. As she thirstily gulped down the lukewarm liquid, she ran over the horrific events that had occurred three days ago.

Kogarasumaru had been challenged again, as usual. The team they faced was strong, but not strong enough. The battles were one on one, and they only had a two out of three winner. Kazu had won his match easily. Agito was the second to fight.

Yayoi set the glass down and drew her knees to her chest. The other team had cheated. They were so desperate for the Fang Regalia that they hadn't even planned on making it a real match. As soon as Agito revealed his ATs, they had all sprung on him.

Yayoi trembled as she remembered the heavy injuries the boy had sustained. Ikki and the rest of the team had been subdued for the moment, but eventually broke free and were able to help the shark. Yayoi took some comfort that Agito had been able to knock out two of the enemy Storm Riders and was even working on a third when the others arrived, but even then…

She took deep breaths and got up. She walked around her room to calm herself, though her footsteps were quiet so that she wouldn't wake her parents. Kogarasumaru had turned the other team into the Wind G-Force. Kaito, seeing the state of his brother, had been all but ecstatic to arrest the team. At least they knew he still loved his brother enough to extract revenge on those who were able to hurt him.

Yayoi glanced at her phone. They were supposed to be going to the beach today. But she should call to see if he was alright, right? She inched to the phone, but stopped herself. No. He didn't own a cell phone. But wasn't he staying at Ikki's house? Ikki would pick up, right? She stopped herself as she reached for the phone, though. No, it was too early in the morning.

_Just go back to bed, Yayoi,_ she thought to herself. _It was just a dream. He's fine. He doesn't need you crowding around him and pestering him._ But the dream had been playing over and over in her mind since that day. _No, don't do it._ She forced herself to sit back down on her bed and lie down. _I should go back to sleep._

Just as her eyes closed, though, her phone vibrated. She snatched it off the nightstand and checked the caller ID. Itsuki Minami. She answered quickly. "Hello?"

"Hey, Nakayama," Ikki groaned. Yayoi slumped in disappointment. So it wasn't Agito after all.

"Yes, Ikki?" she said, trying to keep the tired edge in her voice so that he wouldn't suspect that she had been up.

"Sorry to bug you," the crow said, "but this brat insisted that I call."

"Fuck you, crow," a voice snapped in the background. "I only asked for her number."

Yayoi's hand flew to her mouth to hide the small smile no one could even see as Ikki grumbled, "Well, whatever. Rika-nee got him a cell phone, now, so…"

"Fuck, just give me the phone!" Agito growled.

"No! It's mine!" Ikki cried, and there was a scuffle. The line disconnected a second later and Yayoi stared at her phone in confusion.

_Darn,_ she thought, and lay back down, though she kept the phone in her hand. A few minutes later, it vibrated again. Yayoi checked the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Sorry," a breathless voice muttered. "Idiot wouldn't hand it over. Remember to save this number."

Yayoi smiled. _Agito._ "So why were you wanting to call?"

She could almost hear him shrug on the other end of the line. "Don't know, don't care. I can do what I want, can't I?"

Yayoi giggled. "Yes, I suppose so. Actually, I had been debating to call you. Before Ikki called, anyway."

"Why?"

"I can do what I want, can't I?" Yayoi mimicked playfully.

"No, you had a reason. What was it?" She was stunned at his soft tone, but then he snapped, "Fuck, I don't have all night!"

"I, uh…I was having a nightmare."

"About what?" he asked, the slightest hints of curiosity sounding in his voice.

Yayoi's voice dropped a tone. "The fight."

There was silence on the other end, and then Agito asked, obviously sounding annoyed, "That was three days ago. How are you having a nightmare now?"

"Well, it wasn't just tonight." Yayoi's voice grew quieter. "Ever since the fight. The same thing, over and over again."

"Oh."

_Is that all he can say?_ Yayoi thought. _Oh? No words of comfort, no 'I love you, Yayoi'?_ She stopped and shook her head. What was she thinking? That was completely out of his personality. He could never say…those words. Sure, he could be very romantic, but perhaps that was the extent of showing his affection. Actions, and sometimes encouraging words, but not anything big like that.

She sighed. She could live with it. He didn't have to say that he loved her. She _knew_ that he did. Why else would he be with her. And looks didn't matter, she remembered. _It's just me. All of me that he loves._ Her forlorn face stretched into a smile. He didn't have to say it, but couldn't she?

"Oi. Are you still there? Nakayama?"

"Ah, yes!" she replied quickly, having forgotten that she had been on the phone with him.

"Listen," he said, and there was clearly hesitation in his voice as though he didn't quite know how to word what he was going to say. "It's just a dream. The bastards are gone, especially since we turned them over to Kaito. He'll be sure to give 'em hell."

"Anything for his adorable little brother, I suppose," Yayoi giggled teasingly. "He really does love you."

Agito snorted. "Please. He's a complete sadist. Even if the crow handed him someone to punish, he'd do it gladly."

Yayoi rolled her eyes. He wasn't fooling her. She could hear the embarrassment beneath his words. "Well, I feel much better now," she said happily.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mhm. I'm gonna go back to sleep and stop bothering you. Thanks. There shouldn't be any more trouble."

Though it was faint, she heard Agito mumble, "You weren't bothering me at all." She grinned, but then the shark snapped, "Fuck, whatever. You idiots are all dragging me to the beach today anyway, so I need to use the next four hours for sleep."

"Of course," Yayoi giggled. "Well, good night." She lowered her voice. "I…I love you." She snapped the phone shut quickly so that he wouldn't have a chance to respond, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. _Oh my God. I _said_ it._ What would he do? What did he think? What was going to happen tomorrow?

Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to say that to him right now. She groaned and lay back down on her bed. Well, she had four hours to get some sleep before she had to get ready for the beach. She would just have to wing it today. She buried her face in her pillow and shut her eyes.

---

'_WHAT'S WRONG NOW, Agito?'_ Akito asked curiously. He could feel tension and anxiety radiating from his brother.

_'Nothing.'_ Agito shaded his eyes from the bright morning sun. "Hey, Twiggy! When's that lady supposed to be here?"

"Ton-chan said that she'd be here at eight to take us," Kazu replied. "She should be here in about two minutes, I think."

"Kazu, you idiot!" Ikki snapped. "Don't respond to a name like that!"

"What?" The boy blinked dazedly before finally realizing what Agito had called him. "Hey! What the hell, man?"

Agito ignored him and closed his eye. He could feel Akito's curiosity tickling the back of his mind and he asked gruffly, _'What do you want?'_

_'Something's bothering you,'_ the lighter shark said. _'Care to share? Or do I need to pry it out of you?'_

Agito mentally turned to his counterpart and said quickly, _'She told me that she loved me.'_

_ 'Well, of course she loves you,'_ Akito huffed.

_'Fuck, no,'_ Agito snapped. _'I don't want to hear that shit. She was probably just saying that because…'_ For once, he was at a loss for words. Why would she say that? Because he had given her a small bit of comfort? No, such an insignificant thing didn't matter to the girl. Right?

Akito sighed. _'And here, ladies and gentlemen, we see another rough spot in our couple's relationship. The girl is willing to give him her heart, and he's not sure if he wants it.'_

_ 'She doesn't love me,'_ Agito growled now.

_'Then why else would she be dating you?'_

_ 'I…I don't know!'_ he shouted, punching the mental bars of his cage. _'It's gotta be some mistake.'_

_ 'Maybe you don't want her to love you because you're scared.'_

Agito snapped his head towards Lind's cage. Damn. The bastard was awake. _'What did you say?'_

The oldest of the Wanajima boys stretched sleepily and shrugged. _'I'm just saying. You're the Fang King, one who rides the Bloody Road. You don't want her to fear you. I think that you'd rather maintain a friendship-relationship with this girl rather than have her fearing you.'_ He blinked a few times and then asked, _'Who're we talking about, anyway?'_

Agito gritted his teeth and brought his mind back to reality. The teacher had arrived and everyone was piling into her car. Buccha took his place on top of the vehicle. Adachi was hog-tying Onigiri and shoving him into the trunk so that he wouldn't bother her. And Yayoi…was already sitting in the front seat, having ignored Ikki's call for shotgun.

Agito sighed, slung his blue beach bag over his shoulder, and proceeded to move to the car before the others got a chance to steal his window seat. This was going to be a long day at the beach.

---

THE SEA SALT breeze felt good on her face. It gently caressed her hair and she imagined that it was Agito who brushed her free black locks behind her face. Yayoi watched from under the shade of her umbrella as the others ran wildly up and down the beach, splashing each other. Onigiri was off _somewhere_ and Yayoi didn't want to know, but she did feel sorry for whoever the pig was pestering.

She looked up at Ikki's shout of "Go!" and saw Kazu and Agito take off down the stretch of beach, each sprinting to get to the other end where Buccha stood. They were barefoot, not wanting to mess up their ATs with sand. Kazu had long legs and was the jet of the team. Agito might have grown, but he wasn't taller than the blond just yet. Even so, he was keeping time with the other, and when they finally flew past Buccha who staggered at the fierce amount of wind made by them, they skidded to a stop.

"Tie!" Buccha announced, and Kazu grinned. Agito rolled his eyes and left them as Emily bounded up to congratulate Kazu.

Yayoi smiled when the shark looked at her, but he quickly avoided her gaze. She frowned. Now what? _I just _knew_ I shouldn't have told him that this morning. Now look! He's avoiding me or something._ Yayoi brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. _He didn't even notice my new bathing suit._

She had been persuaded by Emily to buy the two piece, a black bikini with boy-short bottoms. The guy hadn't even really glanced at her at all today. Agito sat down on the farthest edge of his blanket which was a good foot away from Yayoi's. The girl bit her lip and bent her head. _Fine._

A few seconds later, a quick choking noise came from the shark and she looked over to him. His eye was wide and his body trembled furiously, as though he were struggling with another force holding him captive.

"Agito?" Yayoi asked worriedly.

His head snapped her direction, and she saw that he was just as confused as he was. Then a look of realization, and then rage came over his face and he let out a strangled swear before his body suddenly went limp.

"Agito?" Yayoi cried, shaking him. Well, he was breathing. That was good, wasn't it? His eye slowly opened and she sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God! What happened? Are you alr-." She cut herself short as she saw a bright cross shining in the boy's eyes, and she choked on her words. _Lind…_

---

THE ELDEST OF the personalities inhabiting the body stretched happily and threw off the eye patch. Oh, when was the last time he had control of this body? He turned to the girl who sat next to him and smiled. "Thanks. He was so distracted by you that it finally gave me the advantage."

She merely blinked and shook her head mutely.

He frowned. Didn't he know her from…? "Oh! You were that girl that the Orca bastard took captive. So my little brother's dating you? Figures. He was pretty pissed about that joke I played on him with the fish on your f-." He stopped, thinking that it wasn't the best thing to mention to her. "Well, anyway, I'm only going to be here for a few minutes. Agito's unconscious at the moment, but when he wakes up, he won't be too happy with my siege of this body."

"No," the girl finally said. "Maybe it's best that you're here instead of him. I think I made him feel very uncomfortable, so it's probably best that he doesn't see me for a while."

Lind smirked. _You've got an innocent girl on your hands, Agito._ "Ah, I heard him discussing that with Akito earlier today."

She looked at him inquisitively.

He shrugged and continued. "I just have a question. Are you scared of him?"

---

'_FUCK! WHAT THE fuck is he doing?! You shit, I'll kill you, Lind! You hear me? I'll kill you!'_

_ 'Calm down,'_ Akito said, trying to sooth his brother's temper. _'He's doing it to help you.'_

_ 'Help? You call this help?!'_

"I don't understand," Yayoi was saying to Lind. "What do you mean?"

"He's dangerous," Lind said. "He's brought people to the brink of death just because he felt the need to carve his road into them. Aren't you afraid that he'll do that to you one day?"

Agito could feel his throat close and he shut his eyes quickly. _'Please, Akito,'_ he whispered. _'I don't want to hear this right now. Stop him.'_

The girl wasn't answering and he snarled silently. _Damn him. He's ruined it for me. He's-_

"That's a stupid question."

Now Agito slammed against the bars of his cage and went "Shhh!" to Akito, even though the boy hadn't even spoken. Akito shook his head, grinning as Agito strained to hear Yayoi finish her words.

"Why is it stupid?" Lind asked.

"Agito…I'm not sure how to put this, but why would he turn on me? He protects those that he loves. That's just a really stupid question to ask. I'm not scared of him doing that."

"How do you know that he loves you?"

_'Shut up!'_ Agito screeched. _'You're just making this worse!'_

"It's the little things," Yayoi said, and Agito fell silent immediately because of the fond tone in the girl's voice. "He has his ways. If there's a battle, he always wants to be the last one to fight. He says it's to save his strength, but the entire time everyone else is fighting, he's by my side. Or when everyone's training. This may just be a boy thing, but he always tries to beat everyone else."

"He always does that," Lind snorted.

"Yes, but he constantly looks my way when he's won, as though for approval. And I know that he doesn't need any approval. Or even when everyone's relaxing. He'll be by my side, curling my hair around his fingers even though he knows I find it annoying, or kissing me randomly when any of the guys get too close, even though he _knows_ that they wouldn't dare try to steal me from him. He loves me. He just doesn't know how to say it, so he shows it instead. They're subtle actions, but I notice them. And I love him for those things, and everything else in between."

Agito then looked through Lind's eyes and saw Yayoi's face. The sweetest smile he'd ever seen was upon her lips, and her eyes shined with belief, not only of what she'd just said, but in him as well. The feeling that welled up inside him was so warm that he desperately wanted to be in control now. But he also got his satisfaction from the stumped aura that was coming from Lind.

---

SHE WATCHED THE other boy frown, obviously dissatisfied or disappointed with her answer; she couldn't tell which.

"Right," Lind mumbled. "Well, I'm gonna, uh, go back now. Nice seeing you. Been a while since I was last out, but anyway…"

"Well, I'm not complaining," Yayoi said quickly, her heart softening at the dim light in his eyes. "You can stay out here if you want to, for a little longer." She watched the boy smile, but then he winced, as though someone had yelled in his ear.

"Uh, Agito doesn't quite agree with your statement." Lind sighed, but the light was back in his eyes. "Rest assured, though, I suppose I'll visit later."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He pressed a pale hand to his heart. "Right now, the little shark is tearing at the metal bars of our cage. He wants to see you." He winced again. "Even if he denies it. Akito loves everyone, and trusts everyone. But it took Agito so much more time to trust Ikki, and the team. He trusts all of you, and he wants to protect you too. Especially you. You're right, he doesn't know how to really say it. But right now, he certainly wants to show it. So goodbye, Miss Nakayama."

Yayoi smiled, and then froze as Lind brushed his lips against hers. "Wha-?"

"Revenge," the boy said simply. "I haven't been here for more than a few minutes, but I have to do at least _something_ to piss him off. Oooh," he flinched now, "it certainly worked."

And then he was gone. The crosses in his eyes faded and were replaced with bright golden pupils, burning and fierce. The mischievous smirk was replaced with a snarl, and the pale complexion of his face was suddenly a bit pink.

Yayoi smirked. "Welcome back."

"That bastard!" he spat. "How dare he! If we weren't stuck like this, then I'd kick his ass."

Yayoi laughed. "I'm fine. Really, all he wanted was to breath the air for a bit. It's alright for him to have that-"

The poor girl was silenced when he attacked her lips fiercely. Her mouth opened in shock and he took advantage of it, slipping his tongue into her mouth and pressing closer. She felt his warm hand slip down to her waist, felt his skin press against her own. Agito's other hand trailed up her back and buried itself in her black locks. Yayoi tugged at his T-shirt, drawing him closer still. She didn't need him to say "I love you". She knew his thoughts already.

Oxygen was an ever present factor in this, though. Both pulled back at the same time, gasping. Agito recovered first, dipping his head down and peppering her neck with light butterfly kisses. Lower to her collar bone, and here she gasped slightly. The boy was murmuring things against her skin, like "…swear I won't let it happen again…" and "…I'll kill him…damn…"

Yayoi blinked when he looked up sharply into her eyes. "Did you really mean what you said to him?" Agito asked softly, suddenly looming over her. Yayoi found herself being pushed back down against the warm blanket by both the boy and his question. "Did you really mean it? Saying that you loved me?"

Yayoi hummed and brushed Agito's cheek softly. "Absolutely. And I can understand that you don't want to say it because you're a socially awkward boy." Agito tickled her viciously and she squirmed under his nimble hands. "I'm joking!" The assault ceased and Agito eased himself down next to Yayoi.

She lay there as he entwined their legs together and wrapped his arms around her small form. He buried his face in her silky black hair and they lay there together in silence, listening to the sound of their teammates shouting happily and the waves crashing against the sandy shore. Yayoi's eyelids began to droop from the shade of the umbrella, from the heat of the summer day, from the gentle thrum of a heartbeat close to hear ear. Then Agito murmured something and she jerked out of her trance.

"What?" she asked, looking up. The boy was blushing furiously, his golden eyes nervous as though he had made some mistake.

"Nothing," he said after a length.

Yayoi eyed him suspiciously until it hit her. Had he…actually said that…? "Again," she whispered quickly, and Agito tilted his head in question. "Say it again!" Yayoi said a bit louder now. "Please," she added seeing the unease in the shark's eyes.

The boy licked his lips and his grip on her waist tightened. Bending his head close to her ear, he whispered slowly, "I love you."

Yayoi could feel tears begin to gather in her eyes and Agito looked startled. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"No, it's okay," Yayoi laughed. "I'm…fine…" She kissed the startled shark on the lips. This was the boy that she chose to stay by, and she knew that there wasn't any other better choice in the world.

---

EVENTUALLY, HER TEARS stopped and Agito relaxed; he couldn't stand seeing people cry, especially her. He held her against his body, actually feeling a bit glad that he had said it. At least she finally got to hear it from his own mouth instead of having to always assume it by his actions.

He suddenly remembered something that he had been meaning to tell her since they had gotten to the beach. "Uh, Yayoi…"

"Hm?"

"You…I...well…"

Yayoi sat up and smiled a bit. "Oh, don't worry. You'll still be the terrible Fang King to everyone. They don't have to know that you said that. I know how reputations are and…" She stopped at his shocked look. "What?"

He was horrified that she would think that she would have to keep his words a secret from people. "No, no, no," he crooned gently, sitting up and taking her confused face into his hands. "Never," he said, and then said it a second time more fiercely, "never assume that I would do that to you." He kissed her to make sure that she got the picture. "I'll tell them."

Yayoi smirked. "I bet you won't. But we'll get to that later. What were you saying again?"

"I'm just…" Agito cursed himself for stumbling over his own words. "Your…your bathing suit…too revealing." There. He'd said it. "You may not have noticed, but others have been staring at you."

Yayoi stared at him blankly, and then started to laugh. She wrapped her arms around Agito's neck and her laughter died down to a chuckle. "Alright, then. You don't like it?"

Agito grinned wickedly. "Hell, I never said that. I think it's sexy." He kissed her neck. "But I'd prefer that you're for my eyes only."

Yayoi sighed and crawled into his lap. "Of course. Because I'm all yours?"

"Yes," Agito growled without hesitation. "All mine." _And I'm all yours._


End file.
